Succession planting, what is it and why should I do it?
Succession planting is a complicated name for a really simple concept which is rotating plants in your garden so they grow at the proper time and replacing them with others when they are done with production. The complicated part is knowing when everything will grow best and of course, that is specific to each type of vegetable. You may have seen a chart of vegetables with bars showing this before and wondered what it meant. With the Garden planner it is much easier to do since your garden plan stays the same and the vegetables just change from season to season. The Garden Planner already knows which season all the vegetables grow and when it is time to change them over.
Visit our Garden Planner now to begin planning your garden!
Here are some basic helpful tips for Succession planting:
Have your garden ready for all seasons, don't let weeds take over during the winter and add compost on a quarterly basis. Keep the ground covered with either plants or mulch at all times. Consider February or March planting of Onions, Kale, Swiss Chard and other very early spring crops.
Make a list of all of the vegetables you and your family like to eat and include a couple of new ones every season to try out. Vegetables from the garden are so different than canned or frozen ones and a fresh Beet or Kohlrabi may be something you will love!
Keep notes about what does well in your garden and what does poorly. Some plants just need their planting time shifted so they take advantage of cooler weather like Spinach and Cauliflower. If you aren't sure about when to plant what in your area, check your Garden Planner!
Winter growing can be accomplished with row covers and cold frames that protect plants from cold winds and allow them to flourish even though there is snow on the ground. You can even grow leafy greens in containers on a protected porch or sunroom.
In many areas, you can be harvesting in your garden 6-9 months of the year so get started early and keep going until there is nothing else that can be grown.
Don't expect the same plants to last all the way from early spring to late fall, Tomatoes and Squashes are generally able to produce fruit for a few months but hardly ever keep going longer, even if they are well fertilized. There are Early season, Mid Season and Late Season tomatoes so plant some of each to extend the production of fruit over a longer period. In some areas, a second batch can be planted in June or July to give fruit again before fall.
Preserve your harvest when it comes in all at the same time. While it is a very nice gesture to give away the fruit from your garden when you have 50 zucchini and hundreds of tomatoes, you will miss them once they are gone. Find ways to can or freeze vegetables or make soup in the summertime and freeze it for winter, you will be so glad you did!
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